When I Found You
by BlackRoseDragon13
Summary: As an officer of the law, Itachi has to make tough choices and protect the citizens of his city. Can a shadow in his own past help uplift a girl standing so close to the edge? AU, ItaHina, mentions of suicide. May be continued!


_When I Found You_

Tires resting a few inches from the curb, Itachi turned the key of his squad car and let the engine finally rest. He'd been called in by his father – Fugaku, chief of police – for an early morning shift. At nearly four in the afternoon had finally found the time, and the parking space, to let him take a few minutes to eat his lunch. Flipping open the lid of his lunch pail, he fetched a sandwich he'd whipped up that morning, nestled over an apple and a small bag of store-bought cookies dotted with pieces of chocolate. Hardly what his mother used to make for him, but as a bachelor out on his own, it suited him well enough.

Cellophane crinkled and stuck to itself as he unwrapped one end of his meal, taking a sizable bite of lettuce, tomato, cheese and ham. It was dry – he'd forgotten mayonnaise. Sighing lightly to himself, he helped move things along with a gulp of water from a plastic bottle adorned with a Konoha Police Force insignia.

Seemed he could never get away from that name.

"Calling all units, we have a code 10-56A in progress, repeat: 10-56A in progress."

Itachi paused, mouth still full. 10-56A? Someone was attempting suicide!

"Report states that the victim is standing on the edge of the eastern Naka river bridge on the southbound lane, heading toward the edge and preparing to jump. Any and all units within proximity please respond."

Blinking, Itachi choked as he attempted to swallow, scrambling for his keys. He knew that location – he was a mere two blocks away. Finally forcing down his mouthful of sandwich, he revved his engine to life, flicking on his lights and siren while reaching for the radio. Clearing his throat, he pressed down the trigger and said, "This is unit nineteen – I am within proximity and heading now to the eastern Naka bridge, over."

"Roger that."

Throwing the car into gear, Itachi pressed the gas pedal and swerved out from the curb, tires protesting slightly as he rounded the nearby corner. Cars around him made way for his passage, parting like water to let him through. Heart pounding, Itachi prayed to himself that he would not be too late.

_Not again..._

There were two bridges that crossed the Naka river in Konoha – the western, toward the lower banks and with a lower drop to the water; and the eastern, which was several stories taller as it rested upon the cliffs toward the eastern edge of town. It had been the place of several suicides during the city's history, but quite some time had passed since the last.

Jamming the break, Itachi glided around the corner onto the bridge, facing south. Several cars had stopped to watch the spectacle, and Itachi silenced his siren and lights on as he left his own.

"Excuse me, officer coming through," he repeated again and again as he fought through the small crowd that gathered on the pavement to watch. Only once he finally broke into the gap beyond did he see her.

She was standing on the bridge's railing, staring out over the gorge with an eerily blank expression. Even so, Itachi could see half-dried tear trails on her cheeks. One hand was resting against a support beam. Long hair of black with an amethyst shine was blowing out behind her, fringe fluttering over lilac eyes. The breeze also carried her skirt, which was a deep blue and part of a high school uniform.

Itachi knew that outfit. It was the same as the other girls in his brother's class.

Carefully, Itachi moved one black shoe in front of the other, not wanting to make any sudden, triggering movements. "Excuse me," he called, reaching out a careful hand.

She glanced back at him, face still hollow. No words were offered in return.

"Might I ask what you're doing up there?"

Her eyes, he then noticed, were tinged with a sadness that seemed to span years into her past. For a long while she merely stared at him, but he waited to see if she would reply.

"I'm d-done..."

Encouraged that she had made a connection, Itachi asked another question. "With what, miss?"

"Everything..."

"Well...if you would step down from there, I'm more than willing to listen to anything you have to say," the man offered. "It must be very scary standing up so high, so why don't you come down and talk to me?"

Her face turned back out into the open air, and she murmured, "I'm not scared...n-not anymore..." Frowning sharply, she added, "Besides, this is w-where I want to be...where I...have to be..."

Biting the inside of his lip, Itachi softly replied, "If that were true...if you really thought you were meant to jump...don't you think you would have done that by now? Surely your hesitation means you're harboring doubt somewhere inside you. And if you are...then maybe you're not ready to make such a big, final decision."

Uncertainty flitted across her face for a moment. Then, she spoke again. "I'm so t-tired..."

"Tired of what, miss? Why don't you tell me about it?"

Her throat swallowed thickly before she gave a reply. "Of not being good enough...not for my father, or my siblings, or my school...or...him..."

Pausing for a moment to think of what to do next, Itachi tried to stall. "Why would you think you're not good enough?"

"It's not me!" she suddenly yelled, swaying slightly as she spun toward him. He flinched as her flats grated against the stone railing, a few chips of rock coming loose and falling. But as soon as her anger flared, it died. Face falling into despair, she murmured, "Father says I'm not g-good enough to run his stupid company...Hanabi and Neji want me to fail so t-they can take my place. I have no f-friends, and the only person I've wanted to talk to doesn't even know I exist..." Her head bowed under the weight of her words. "I'm so t-tired of being told I'm not g-good enough...not smart enough, not p-pretty enough...I'm just g-getting in everyone's way...it would be better if I were gone...and then...it w-wouldn't hurt anymore..."

Her pain echoed in her words, and rung in Itachi's ears. Before he could censor himself, he replied softly, "Almost ten years ago...my cousin jumped off this bridge."

Choking on her breath, the girl looked up, but held her tongue.

Realizing he had to keep going, Itachi took a ginger step forward, hand still partially raised. "We were walking together, home from school...my parents live not far from here. The same school you go to now. We were talking about our futures, and...we stopped on this bridge to look out over the water." The man swallowed thickly. "Before I knew what he was doing, Shisui...my cousin, and my best friend...was standing just as you are now. You see...my family was facing some very rough times. It all seems so silly now, but back then...we were just kids. We didn't understand, and everything seemed so scary. Shisui, he...he thought that his death would stop the problems. He told me how it was the only way he could make a difference. The only way to snap my family out of the state they had fallen into to. And then...right in front of me...he jumped."

The girl was staring at him, eyes wide with shock. "Right...in front of you...?"

"I never knew how he felt...there were secrets he'd been keeping from me, and which I still don't know or understand. I'm still not sure why he did what he did." Another step. "I was so confused, but...he was right. Our family stopped their fighting when they heard the news. They found his body far down steam, mangled and broken. No one knew why they did it...and I never told anyone what he had said. It stopped the fighting, but...everyone kept asking why." He stepped again. "There had to have been another way. There is always a choice. Shisui was a means to an end, but every day I wonder...did he have to pay that price? What if he was still alive? Would be be working beside me, making sure that the people of this city are safe? How many lives could he had touched, and saved, if he had never jumped?" Taking one last step, Itachi was close enough to touch her, but kept his hand only half-raised. "So...who would be left in the dark without you? Who would mourn you every day if you disappeared? There will always be difficulties, and people who will tear you down...but don't you want to find the right people who will build you back up?"

Hand still braced against the pillar, the girl stared at him, her other arm loose at her side. "I'm...s-so sorry about...your cousin..." Her gaze fell to the ground. "I feel like there's nowhere for me to go. I'm just so...lost..."

Offering her a tender smile, Itachi held his hand a bit higher. "Maybe you just need someone...to find you again."

Giving a small start, she looked back up at him, a kind of surprise in her eyes. Gaze lowering a bit to his hand, she considered it for a long while.

The crowd was silent, watching with bated breath.

Slowly, with several hesitations, the girl held out her own hand in return before it gently laid upon Itachi's upturned palm. With unsteady feet she stepped from the ledge, stumbling slightly into the man's chest. Still gripping her hand, Itachi used his other arm to hold her tightly.

"Found you..." he murmured.

**Hello everyone! Wow...it's been a long, long time, hasn't it? Over a year since I last published anything to this page. I'm so sorry! Life has been busy for me, and I've had so many things on my plate, especially when it comes to writing. I'm currently juggling almost half a dozen novels I'm trying to work on, as well as a 365 day writing challenge! So, fanfiction hasn't been a very high priority for me lately. **

**But I am SO APPRECIATIVE of every single one of you guys! Despite my prolonged absence from this site, the love hasn't stopped. I've still gotten reviews, favorites, follows and even watches of my entire page! I really don't know if I deserve them, but I'm so thankful that you guys haven't given up on me. Believe me, I have a lot I want to do with this page yet, and hopefully I'm going to have some more time here soon :)**

**Anyway, now that I've got all that out of the way, thank you for reading this fic! This was a random idea I got yesterday and managed to put to paper today. I really liked the idea, despite its morbid nature, and I hope you liked it too. I may or may no continue this if I find the time and figure out a further plot, but for now I thought maybe you guys would like a small update from me and enjoy this little drabble!**

**ALSO! Sadly, fanfiction dot net won't let me put more than one poll on my page at a time, so I guess I'll ask you guys a few things here you can reply to in a review if you'd like to give your input:**

**1. If I were to write another multi-chap fic, would you prefer that I upload chapters as I write them, or wait until the story is finished so I can upload on a set schedule, like I did with Defining Innocence with twice-weekly updates?**

2. I have some Naruto drabbles on my deviantART page from my writing challenge – would you like me to also upload them here, or are you not a fan of shorter, oneshot-like stories? (But then again, THIS is a oneshot! XD)

If you could let me know, I'd greatly appreciate it! I want to be sure that what I do is enjoyable for everyone :)

**Again, thank you all so much for your continued support. Hopefully you'll see more of me around here from now on! I certainly miss being here as often. Sorry about the long AN, but I had a lot to say! XD**

**All my love!**

**~BlackRoseDragon13**


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